Bound by higanbana 緋岸花 の絆
by Ryujin Mei
Summary: When the Roshigumi murders Sakamoto Yugiri's best friend, she swears to seek revenge and bring down the Bakufu. She never counted on oni becoming involved or helping Ibuki with his love life distracting her from her goal. As the higanbana bloom...the hitokiri finds herself conflicted between revenge and feelings for a certain Bakufu warrior. [REIMEIROKU GAME SPOILER]
1. Prologue: Spinning pinwheel

**Hai hai~ I found my copy of Reimeiroku last week while cleaning out my room and since I was never really happy with the anime adaption ... and since I'd like to try doing it from another viewpoint (Chikage's 'side' aka the Ishin Shishi or anti-Bakufu) it might be less cliched~**

**I'll be focusing on Sano-chan's route with a bit of Haji-kun's since Ryu-chan is the best in them (Shizu X Ryu forever!), Chizurun isn't really central to the plot but I'm pairing her up with Hijikata because they are cute together.**

**Disclaimer: (not really needed since it's fanfiction but hey!) Otomate owns everything! The crappy cover image is made by me and my ocs are mine! **

**A/n:** ( 緋岸花) Higanbana- red spider lily/lycoris flower which can mean 'longing/never being able to meet. Just a sort of spoiler teeehee~

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Prologue: The pinwheels spin...~<strong>_

"...you sure you don't want it?" I push the plate of _onigiri_ across the table and watch the dismal looking young man sitting opposite me. He doesn't respond and instead continues dabbing his paintbrush into the inkpot and smearing it on the paper in front of him. At least, that's what it looks like he's doing from this angle. Ibuki Ryunosuke-san is a rather quiet and withdrawn excuse of a man who looks more like the type to be training as a scholar instead of serving within the Roshigumi. Firstly, he has an intense fear of swords and just seeing blood when I cut my finger was enough to reduce him to tears. Truly, he was one pathetic wimp. His only merit was his talent for painting, with one stroke of the brush he could transform a sheet of white paper into a window of beauty, a glance into a battlefield..in short he was a genius with the paintbrush.

"...How's Serizawa treating you these days?" I turn my attention to the bubbling kettle on the stove and lower the flame while checking the steaming pot on the right. From the bits and pieces I had heard, Ibuki had been rescued by Serizawa and ended up becoming indebted to him, in effect becoming Serizawa's dog. "Ibuki-kun?" I glance over at the long haired boy who hunches over and trembles "...Kasamori-san. You don't need to get involved. I'm not...in any need of your help." He quietly pushes the plate back to me, but I stop it with a finger and click my tongue "Ibuki-kun. Eat. I'm not going to let you leave until you do so."

"I don't have any money to repay you." He bites his lip and hides his eyes underneath his messy dark blue fringe with a sad sigh. I wave a hand dismissively and point towards the half completed painting on the table. It's of a white haired oni like creature in the midst of slashing an enemy with a sword. "Then I'll take that painting as payment instead. Does that sound fair to you?"

"..." His hands grab the onigiri and he nods eagerly with his mouth full. Huh, he's also incredibly easy to read. Just like a poor little kicked puppy. I laugh softly to myself as he hands me the finished painting and mumbles a thank you.

**~x~x~x~**

The late hours when the sun starts to go down and the Shimabara next door begins to get rowdy with the sounds of laughter and music is my cue to start packing up and begin my 'real' work. Closing the wooden front securely and ramming the bolts in as deep as they can go, I head towards the small room at the back and get changed. I switch my bright red and yellow kimono for a plain grey one, folding it gently and placing it into the chest of drawers at the foot of my room. My black jika-tabi lie exactly where I left them last night and I slowly kick off my sandals and squeeze my feet into them. "..and for the final touch" I lift up the tatami and withdraw a pair of Apache revolvers, tucking them safely in the space between my obi and of course my jitte. Since I'm a woman, I was never allowed to learn the sword, but was taught the naginata instead. Thankfully, my Onii-sama, Sakamoto Ryoma is a progressive thinking man and secretly taught me how to master the jitte whenever we had the chance to sneak off away from the paranoid and overprotective eyes of our eldest sister, Otome.

My shadow stretches menacingly in front of me, like a yokai reaching from the darkness, reminding me of how I used to cling tightly to Onii-sama whenever Onee-sama sent us out on errands at night. Ever since the black ships began coming into the country, the situation has become worse by the day, the Shogunate do nothing to assist the people and are determined to keep the Emperor powerless. To make things worse, the dogs of the Bakufu, the Roshigumi patrol the streets of Kyoto each day, using 'protecting the peace' as an excuse for ruthlessly murdering anyone who happens to fall under their suspicion of being a member of the Ishin shishi.

Sounds of males yelling angrily and thuds as things fall heavily onto the ground stop me in my tracks. The houses surrounding me all have their shutters pulled down and a young woman gives me a brief warning glance before pulling her shutter down quickly. The atmosphere is tense and I can tell something isn't right, heading towards the direction of the commotion, I tentatively place a ready hand on the hilt of my jitte, and slowly walk. I have been trained as a long distance fighter, much like the samurai of the past who followed Kyuba no Michi'. Now, that way of living has long died and Bushido is now the norm, swords are commonplace among most people. Even so, as long as I am within a safe distance, no sword can ever touch me. Firearms are one of the few benefits the black ships brought us, I grudging accept that and sigh to myself when I hear the sounds of swords clashing.

No way, what the hell were the Roshigumi doing? Just yesterday they had damaged half of Numata-san's store claiming that some drunkards were destroying order. Nobody had dared to stop them and to make things worse, Serizawa had threatened to silence Numata-san if he spoke out against them. Poor Ibuki-kun, having the misfortune to be indebted to a man like Serizawa.

"Argh! please stop!" A loud yell cuts through my musings , bringing me back to reality. If I can stop another senseless murder, then I'll do whatever I can.

**~x~x~x~**

The first thing I notice is the light blue haori with the white bordered edge flapping in the wind. The Roshigumi. Wolves of Mibu. Bakufu. Supporters of the Shogunate. Blood thirsty killers. Whatever other names there were for them, all I knew was that they were the enemies of the Emperor and the Ishin Shishi, which Onii-sama and myself are a part of. I've put myself in a very dangerous position, yet I can't quell the curiosity that has built up inside of me. Who are they fighting against? One of the Shishi? A bandit ? I mentally slap myself for being an idiot and press my body closer to the wall and the shadows peeking around the corner to get a better look.

"Spill it! What the hell do you think you're going to gain from coming here to Kyoto eh?"

"Don't tell me...Sano, this guy's gotta be a member of the Shishi right? Those damn criminals!"

Hiding safely in the shadows, I bite my lip with anger , the Roshigumi are the criminals not us. We never killed innocent people without any reason nor patrolled the streets with swords flashing in the open and causing unrest among the people.

"S-stop! Please! What are you doing? You've got the wrong man!" The person being cornered is begging, and I still can't shake the feeling I know the owner of that voice. The Roshigumi with a purple ponytail steps in front and from the flash of silvery light, I can tell he has drawn his sword. "I-I only came here to visit my sister! I don't see any reason for you to be suspecting me of anything." The man yells loudly and backs away from Ponytail as he gets stabbed in the arm. "Guh!" They shift formation slightly, allowing me to finally catch a glimpse of the man's face.

"Kazunari-san.." his name escapes my lips before I can stop myself. We make eye contact and his eyes widen with horror.

The Roshigumi all turn to face me and brown haired man with a topknot walks over to me with a sadistic smile on his cursed good looking face. Blood flecks are splattered on his cheek making him look more and more dangerous. Kuso. I tense and bend my knees, ready to leap onto the roof and run for my life when he frowns and looks me up and down. On reflex, I hug myself to shield my body from being scrutinised. He smirks and lowers his hands from the hilt at his side. "Ah? it's just a girl. Hey, you shouldn't be wandering the streets on your own at this time of the day, oujo-chan." His green eyes gleam brightly in the dimming sunlight as he smiles sneakily at me and reaches for my cheek. "So, why don't you tell onii-chan what you're doing all alone out here?"

I instinctively flinch from his reach and look up to see the rest of the Roshigumi fanning themselves out so the man they were confronting is obscured from my view. This really isn't good. I'm certain that the man there is Mimegumi Kazunari, one of the Shishi samurai who I was supposed to meet and escort to the current headquarters and...my best friend.

The situation right now isn't good, Kazunari is injured and there are 4 Roshigumi members. Think Sakamoto Yugiri, what can you do in this situation?

_"A woman's smile and tears are her greatest weapons." _ Otome Onee-sama had told me that once, back when I had complained about how much I hated being ladylike."*sniffle* uuhuu..." I jab my fingernails tightly in the web between my thumb and tears spring from my eyes. "I-I'm so sorry! "

"hmph." The top-knot guy continued smiling and draws his sword, looking over his shoulder at the rest of the Roshigumi "Say, she might have seen something she shouldn't have... maybe I'll just kill her to make sure."

I lower my head and cross my arms so that my right hand is deep inside my left sleeve and vice versa. "Hey, hey." This time the tall redhead with a ponytail walks over to me, shielding Kazunari from view "No need to be so drastic Souji, she doesn't look like she knows what's going on. Just let her go."

"Hah?" The topknot guy I now learn is Souji scoffs and keeps his sword raised. "Geez, always the ladies man huh Sano? Whatever, I bet you'll regret it one day. heh...should I kill you now?" he smirks at me and I take that moment to slide the Apache onto my palms and fire directly at him.

"SHIT!" He curse loudly and clutches his side, losing his grip on his sword and fumbling to the ground. Dammit, I missed, before I can attempt to fire again, a whooshing sound forces me to step back, just in time to dodge a punch to the face.

"Explain yourself." The redhead spearman points the tip of his spear towards me, pinning me to the wall and pressing a hand against my forehead so I can't move. "What's a woman like you doing with firearms?...tell me! Are you with the Ishin Shishi?" I remain silent, glaring back at him with defiance. "*cough* Sano, just kill the bitch already" Souji coughs and leans heavily against the youngest looking boy with a brown ponytail. His green eyes flash with pure hatred as he clutches his sides tightly.

"Daaaah!" The young ponytailed boy easily blocks Kazu's clumsy blow with his sword and laughs "Geez, you're weak!" He grunts under the weight of Souji and keeps his katana pointed at Kazu who pants and walks slowly up to where I am trapped. "Hey! Don't ignore me!" The young ponytail boy yells at him but is stopped by the remaining Roshigumi. The silent man with a purple ponytail .

"..." The purple ponytail guy walks slowly up to Kazu, his left hand leaning on his hilt. "..." Kazu sidesteps around his slowly, his sword trembling as he tries to find an opening. Wait...left hand...sword still unsheathed... no way! "KAZU!" I remain frozen in place and pray that he can act in time. This man..without a doubt was Saito Hajime, the master of 'iai'. One successful strike and Kazu was a goner.

*SCHWING* The sound of a sword scraping against the sheathe pierces through the night.

"...*cough*" A silvery beam arcs through the air and a spray of red blossoms everywhere. "*plurt*" a thick stream of blood dribbles from Kazu's mouth and then a violent hacking sound as the person behind him pulls out the sword."KAZU!" As he crumples to the ground, his sword clattering and rolling towards another corpse, I headbutt Sano as hard as I can, bringing him to the ground, and fire at Saito; managing to hit his blade and deflecting the bullet harmlessly into the wall.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" I scream as loudly as I can, sounds of footsteps being coming closer as passerbys overhear. Panic spreads among the Roshigumi as they glance at Kazu's dead body and weigh out the consequences.

"Shit, we better go before word gets out. Just tell Hijikata that there was a suspicious man."  
>"I'll report to him."<p>

They start to run off as I stagger to my feet "I swear...I'll personally hunt you down and get revenge..." Even though they might not hear me, I yell as loudly as I can"...don't think...for a second.. that I'll ever forget!... I'll kill you all!...I'll bring you down along with the cursed Bakufu!"

"Yugiri!" A loud male yells out my name. A small group rushes up to where we are and stops, two men walk through the crowd and stand in front of me. One is an unnaturally beautiful man with golden hair and piercing red eyes, the other has a worn look on his handsome face and his short brown ponytail is messed up from running.

"C-chikage-dono.. Onii-sama." I point helplessly at Kazu's cold body and slowly drop my pistols to the ground in defeat.

"The Roshigumi. They just murdered Kazu."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading~ Reviews would be much appreciated ^W^<strong>

**oh! and yes, yes the Apache revolver wasn't around in Japan at that point in time but shh, its fiction :)**


	2. Hidden in the evening mist

**_Thanks to everyone who Favourited/followed this! _**

**_Guest: _**_Thank you~ Please keep on supporting me!~_

**_Guest1995: _**_teehee~ I'm glad you like this! haha poor Sano-chan doesn't seem to be as popular as the other guys but I love him more XD well, lets just say Yugiri's future with him will...be interesting haha~!_

**_waistedyouth: _**_I love SanoX OC stories too! but Haji-kun and Sou-chan get all the love it seems T.T_

**_ArchimedesAckerman: _**_Sankyuu! I personally like strong females (and I get to include weapons~)_

**_mimi:_**_*Salutes* yes! I'm glad you like Yugiri!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>~Chapter 1: Hidden in the evening mist...~<em>**

One of the things I detest most about men is their inherent ability to underestimate women. No matter how many times I attended the Sonno Joui meetings or relayed back information towards the members, all of them bar a few who knew me personally had attributed it all another male and dismissed me on the spot.

"I see. That means we cannot remain at ease within Kyoto now." Yamaguchi Eiji, a middle aged man with a stern facial expression, as well as the head of the Satsuma clan rubs his chin with a rhythmic stroke and nods slowly. "Thank YOU for that information Shinsaku-dono "

I fume silently where I am sitting and the teacup in my hands crack. Onii-sama places a firm hand on my knee reminding me to stay calm and avoid another messy situation. Like hell I'll sit back quietly Onii-sama! Just as I'm about to stand up and give the self-important jiji a piece of my mind, someone else cuts in and laughs loudly.

"Ahahaha, you're giving me way too much credit Yamaguchi-dono." All eyes turn to the back of the room where a cocky looking young man leant casually against the wall. When we make eye contact, he winks at me and smirks. "Really, if Kiri-chan hadn't posed as a maiko nobody would have been able to gather information that effectively. True?"

Everyone murmurs to themselves and cast fearful looks at each other since it would be incredibly unfortunate to diss the words of none other than Takasugi Shinsaku, who is one of the key members wielding massive political power. Not to mention he's Onii-sama's close friend and my self-declared guardian.

Yamaguchi-dono looks at Shinsaku and splutters "A-ah, o-of course Takasugi-dono. *cough* I never meant to dismiss Sakamoto like that. My mistake" he bows his head slightly and turns away with a huff. Hmph. I never expected an apology anyway you stupid jiji. Especially since _I _had been the one to personally relay the information for your hairy wrinkled ears to hear. Obviously I don't say that out loud, I wouldn't want Onii-sama to look bad in front of everyone after all. Instead, I nod modestly but can't help the triumphant smirk from spreading across my face when I casually examine my fingernails. "Well, I guess we were lucky that this particular member of the Roshigumi had a weakness for both alcohol and women. I might not have been so lucky if a higher ranked member had been my guest."

"Hmph, you were only fortunate that we were on close terms with the proprietor of Shimabara. Next time, you should think more carefully about who you decide to kill. It may have drastic consequences on the livelihoods of our comrades. " Takasugi Shinsaku chuckles softly and looks pointedly at me as he smirks. I glare at him while he shrugs his shoulders and looks across the small hallway. The entire room echoes with the sounds of murmuring and occasional soft arguing before Onii-sama raises a hand for silence " While Yugiri's actions were commendable, we cannot afford to do anymore to provoke the Roshigumi. Stay alert for now. They may make a move to seek vengeance."

"Just kill them off if they get in the way." Everyone turns in the direction of the speaker. Seated comfortably on one of the few chairs and flanked by his bodyguards , Chikage Kazama-dono looks aloof as usual. He had been an unusual member of the Sonno Joui, reasoning that since he was 'bored' this would serve as a welcome distraction. The well-built man with a red hair remains silent, as if assessing the situation while the shorter one with a messy ponytail and a twisted smirk chuckles to himself.

"Chikage-dono." Onii-sama bows respectfully, "I fully understand your reasoning, however we aren't in any position to freely do as we please."

"Hmph." Chikage-dono shuts his eyes and strokes the hilt of his sword "I am only assisting you because it happens to be convenient for me. There is someone in Kyoto I have to find at all costs and you cannot prevent me from doing anything else." One of the men standing behind him laughs and draws his matchlocks "Haha , so he says. I'm only along for the ride. As long as I get to fight strong opponents, that's good enough for me."

" Shiranui-san. Please refrain from drawing your weapons in here, if it is a fight you wish for, my younger sister is more than happy to be your opponent." Onii-sama gestures towards me and gives me a wink. At that moment I feel a burst of pride, Onii-sama has faith in me, and evidently isn't angry that I acted on my own and entered Shimabara as a maiko to monitor the Roshigumi's movements.

"Heh? A frail girl like her?" The corners of Shiranui's lips curl with distaste, as though Onii-sama had told him to feel free to drink the water from the ground.

One thing I cannot tolerate is being looked down upon simply because I am a woman. I reach behind my back and take off the Snyder rifle from the holding strap. Unfortunately, the only reason I have the latest and best rifle available is all due to Shinsaku-kun's political ties, but that's beside the point. "Well then, that works out well for me. I haven't been active on the front and need to sharpen my skills." I grin at him and lazily tap the rifle up and down on my shoulders "Shall we see who's the better marksman? Shiranui-dono?"

He scoffs and twirls his matchlocks once, "Marksman? You can't use something like that, woman!" Chikage-dono and Amagiri-san remain silent and emotionless while everybody else seems to be genuinely entertained. Keeping my anger concentrated inside of me, I muster up a smile and gesture to the range at the back "Onii-sama will throw a target into the air, first one to strike it before it falls will be the victor."

I snap the lever back and tuck the handle underneath the crook of my armpit, preparing to fire. Shiranrui likewise, gets into position and we exchange a nod. "Alright! get ready! and..." Onii-sama runs to the back of the hallway and tosses a paper balloon into the air "GO!"

2 shots are fired and a small cloud of smoke blows through the room as we both aim for the target. "Draw!" Onii-sama shakes the deflated paper tatters and waves it to show the two bullet holes inside it. It seems once again I've tied with him. This means I still need more practice.

"You're not so bad...for a woman." he smirks and twirls his matchlocks before tucking them at his sides. "Likewise, you aren't so bad for a human." I scoff back at him and lock the Spencer before slinging it onto my back. Wait, why did I refer to him as a human? He was obviously one, perhaps it was the teeth and hair. Yeah, that must have been it.

"Who said I was a human? Hahaha.." He scoffs to himself and promptly shuts up when Chikage-dono glances at him. I throw him a baffled look as Chikage-dono stands up to leave and disappears through the door. He was one elusive guy, coming and going as he pleased, pretty much marching to the beat of his own drum. Though, for some odd reason Onii-sama and Shinsaku-kun were the only ones who seemed apparently close to him.

"_Human?...if he's not a human then what is he? A yokai? oni? Tengu? "_ Even though it was most likely a joke to annoy me, I can't help but ponder on whether or not his words have a deeper meaning to them.

**~x~x~x~**

"Morning Kazu-chan. I accidentally made the miso too salty again.. Onii-sama hasn't woken up yet, but I think he'll get angry again huh?... speaking of Onii-sama, he's travelling to Osaka soon! I made him promise to bring me back some okonomiyaki for us to share ..."

I shut my eyes and clap my hands together silently, even though it had already been a few months, Kazu's loss still cuts me deep. The bottles of sake I've taken to drinking at night are testament to that. A splash of water onto the tombstone makes me open an eye in surprise. Not many people visited the graveyard at this time of day; though it's the person I see which surprises me more. Takasugi Shinsaku or Shin-chan as I call him, is standing silently with his eyes shut and hands clasped. The wind ruffles his fringe for a moment, lifting it over the right half of his face and revealing a red splotch. "Shin-chan. What happened there?"

He ignores me then bows his head before casting a dark stare "Huh. What do you think? I burnt my handsome face trying to fry fish for breakfast. Breakfast is _your _job."

"Frying fish shouldn't be that difficult." I scoff at him and brush the stray leaves off the edges of my kimono. "Wait, you what?" I whirl around in surprise and look questioningly at him. He was literally a disaster in the kitchen, managing to turn rice into a charcoal like substance and boil tea to the point the pot would burn through. "Must you be so slow Kiri-chan?" He scoffs and flicks me in the forehead "I. did. the. work. for . you. Now you'll owe me something."

Now it's my turn to scoff. I sigh for as long as I can then proceed to rub the bridge of my nose with an exaggerated effect "Oh Shin-chan...Shin-chan...*sigh*I already fried the fish for breakfast. You probably turned it into tar again. Though I don't understand how you could burn yourself. Sheesh."

He freezes and turns away "Really." I can tell he's embarrassed since his left eye is twitching. A habit he had ever since we were young. "Anyway, here. I got this from Remington-san, I have no need for it but I'm sure you'd find some use for this." He picks up a long object wrapped in fabric resting on the nearby tree and hands it to me. Curious, I unwrap it and pull out a sleek shining black rifle.

"Shin-chan! Thanks! What's this called? I've never seen it before." I fiddle around with the rifle, examining every little thing about it and hug it to my chest. He shrugs and takes back the fabric, tossing it over his shoulders "Remington-san called it a 'Spence repeating rifle' said it could fire 6 times in a row. You won't find another like it anywhere you know."

I hit him gently with the butt of the rifle and laugh "I know. Really, thanks Shin-chan. You're amazing."

"Whatever. Baka ne." he heads off down the hill and gives me a backhand wave. "Don't get yourself killed."

**~x~x~x~**

Shimabara at this time of the day is quiet, with only the occasional guest wandering in for some entertainment to pass the time or lonely men wanting company. Seeing as there are no guests to entertain at the moment, Kosuzu and I are idly chatting to one of the oiran, Kimigiku who happened to wander into the room we had been assigned to. Kimigiku is renowned for being one of the most beautiful and mysterious oiran, making her popular among customers though only the very wealthy or important guests like the Sonno Joui or the Roshigumi can request her services. Maiko like Kosuzu and 'undercover' maiko like myself are lucky in which we only need to entertain guests by singing, dancing and pouring drinks while Kimigiku does...more...intimate work. Speaking of Kosuzu-chan...

"N-nanaya!" The young and exceptionally cute girl smiles sweetly at me and slowly lifts part of her furisode up, revealing the white nagajuban she's wearing underneath. "D-did you perchance hear about the guests we have been assigned to entertain?" she clasps her hands gently and looks expectantly at me. I shake my head slowly, still unused to the weight of the kanzashi on my head and smile back. "No, I haven't. Who are they?"  
>Kosuzu peeks shyly over her shoulders and giggles softly "I was told that it would be the Roshigumi."<p>

"..." I steel myself and place the carefully prepared mask of "Nanaya" onto my face. Right now, Yugiri doesn't exist. Nanaya does. My only priority is to gather information from the Roshigumi and relay that to the Shishi."Is that so?" I crack a smile and look to Kimigiku for more information. She smiles mysteriously and says nothing "I suppose you'll find out soon." She nods towards the door and stands up gracefully "Good luck."

As soon as she leaves, I hear men laughing loudly and walking into the room. Kazu...once again I'm asking for your help. I shut my eyes to mentally prepare myself and suddenly feel the presence of an arm wrapped tightly around my shoulder. Gah! my eyes burst open and I twist my head to face the person directly. "Ah? Here's a new face I haven't seen before." My heart practically explodes through my chest as I stare right into the eyes of the cursed red haired akuma from the Roshigumi. Harada Sanosuke. "_Kazuuu! Help me restrain this killing intent!_"

"Y-yes. I s-suppose so." I lower my head and reach for the sake bottle and pour him a drink; while struggling to avoid the urge to ram the bottle onto his head and slam him face down into the food. Honestly, this is a scenario I should be prepared for, in fact I had planned for something like this to happen. If a situation like this were to happen, if any member of the Roshigumi decided to pick me; I was meant to be seductive and attract his attention. He would then get drunk and fall for me whereupon I would keep getting him drunk and extract information out of him. Finally, I would poison him and display his head in the town square for everyone to see and the-

"Hey." Harada waves his hands in front of my face "is something the matter?"

"Yees?" My voice goes high pitched as I bat my eyelashes and giggle in a high pitched tone, which comes out as a croak. Did...he...does he suspect me?...does..he recognise me...?...I stutter and launch into a rapid tirade "Er, I mean no. Nothing is the matter. Is the sake to your liking? Ara, I knew I might have chosen the wrong type for today. Perhaps you would prefer another maiko attend to you? Ah, that does sound much preferable I suppose. Here, I shall call Kosuzu-chan to entertain you since I clearly am not competent enough. Kosuzu-chan! "

"..." Harada narrows his eyes at my rapid fire speech and bursts out laughing. "No. I'd prefer you to entertain me. It's been awhile since a woman has made me laugh like this." Well thank YOU for the compliment. I cover my face in false embarrassment and bat a hand weakly "Ara! You flatter me! nevertheless, I will call Kosuzu, you'll enjoy her presence ...more.." At that moment, the atmosphere in the room changes completely and I direct my gaze to where everyone I focused on.

"-take it off. You're a geisha aren't you?" The older man resembling a wolf growls loudly and throws his fan at Kosuzu. I only then realise that this is none other than Serizawa Kamo, Ibuki-san's current 'master' and the leader of the Roshigumi. Speaking of Ibuki-san, he is trembling next to Serizawa and flinching, poor thing. Why is it that he always seems to get the short end of the stick?

"..." Kosuzu gracefully sits up after the hit and stands up firmly "I do not understand your reasoning for striking me. However if I may be so bold to correct you, I am not a geisha but a maiko and therefore will not, no I refuse to do something as shameless as that." Her hands tremble as she bows politely and seats herself down in front of him. Kosuzu...no. I don't need to get involved in something like this. My only priority is gathering information at the moment (and escaping from Harada's embrace). Nothing else can get in the way of my mission.

Serizawa flares with anger and flips the table, making the sake cups and bowls smash onto the ground, causing Ibuki-kun to flinch and cower in fear. "How dare you! A cheap woman like you should be obedient and do as I say, yes, just like that dog over there." He raises a hand to hit Kosuzu who shuts her eyes and remains where she is sitting.

"S-stop that! Please! She's just a cheap oiran, you don't need to exert yourself for something like this!" Ibuki-kun stands up in front of Kosuzu and yells , even though he glares at Serizawa fiercely his hands are trembling with fear. "Pssh!" Serizawa seems to have lost interest and snarls angrily as he grabs his haori and leaves the establishment in rage. "What a waste of my time. Dog! Go back and tell Ume I need her!"

"U-um..are you ok?" Ibuki-kun ignores Serizawa and slowly turns around to face Kosuzu, helping her to her feet. She slips her hands out of his and gets up herself "..I thank you for your assistance, though.." she purses her lip and glares at him coldly. "I cannot forgive you for speaking ill of me like that. Such things, based on poor judgement are nothing more than insults. " She frowns and bows elegantly "I shall leave now."

She walks gracefully out of the room, leaving me to deal with the aftermath I suppose. Alright, alright, leave it to onee-chan then. I sneak a glance at Ibuki-kun as I begin clearing up the broken cups, "Leave jobs like this to the men." A coarse hand touches mine and I look up to see the face of Harada right next to mine" . ..Gyuuhh!" Startled, I jerk back and knock into a dazed looking Ibuki-kun who stares pensively at the door.

"F-forgive me.. but I can't trouble guests with tasks like these." I duck my head down, praying that under the extra heavy makeup and extravagant outfit I'm wearing, a. Ibuki-kun doesn't recognise me as Kasamori Osho and that b. Harada doesn't remember me as the woman who tried to kill him a few weeks ago.

"No. Just stay seated and let me do it. To apologise for the actions of my superior." His gaze is serious and I just _know _when men make that expression, they won't back down. This is annoying.I hide my clenched fist under the long sleeves of the furisode and crack a smile so forced I fear my makeup will crack along with it. "Oh my, how can a maiko like myself let an honoured guest exert himself?" I stifle an unnaturally high pitched giggle and shake my head firmly "No. I'm sorry. I can't let you do that. Please, allow me." I reach for the broken porcelain across from his hand, resisting the urge to carve a neat line across his palm but he blocks my attempt and holds my wrist firmly in his grasp. A gleam appears in his golden eyes as he nods slowly "Alright, I'll back down if...you kiss me. I haven't been entertained at all."

I manage to stop my scream from escaping and stare stunned at him "U-uh..excuse me? "In my dazed adrenaline fuelled state, I vaguely remember Kimigiku mentioning something about the occasional guest requesting additional services which everyone, even maiko were expected to provide. Noo... It can't be helped. I nod slowly and smile coyly at him "Alright, but then your friend will have to go apologise to Kosuzu in exchange."

He thinks about it for a split second and nods "Agreed."  
>I hold his chin with my fingers and press my lips lightly against his cheek before whirling away quickly "Please uphold your end of the bargain."<p>

"That doesn't count!" he begins to protest but I slip through the door and into Karyu-sama, the proprietoress' quarters where I can find something to purge my lips.

"Ara, back so soon Nanaya-chan?" Karyu-sama taps her pipe onto the ashtray and glances at me "Please don't drink to the point of getting drunk. Also when you kill a customer, ensure he isn't a wealthy one like last time...Nanaya-chan? *sigh*""

"$%^&(^$^$#^!^&()%&^%$!" I yell gibberish while downing sake and slamming my fists onto the table. "You knew what you would get into while working here." Karyu-sama smacks me lightly on the head with her pipe and grins wryly "Do be grateful I allowed someone like you into this establishment; though it was partially thanks to Shinsaku-kun. By the way, be sure not to anger the Roshigumi. "

Ugh, Shin-chan AGAIN. I grimace at her and chug down the last of the sake " Pfft, 's the least of your problems baba." I get another smack on the head and a pinch on my foot. "Nanaya-chan. I already warned you, as long as you are here, you must follow my rules. Now, as for- Nanaya-chan?"

She looks disapprovingly at me as I toss the furisode at her and leap through the window. " whatever, I'm a samurai before a woman and definitely not a maiko. See you babaaaa"

"If you were a real maiko I would have your legs broken for escaping!" She manages to yell a counter attack but I ignore her and speed off. I have things to do after all, and staying behind getting lectured is NOT one of them.

**~x~x~x~**

"-an *hic* zats why I *hic* guhhh *hic* zats why I ..." I smack Atsushi as he nods and refills my sake cup "...why I haaaaaattteeeeee za *hic* ro*hic* roshigewmi...DAMMNNN THEMMM" I slur drunkenly and slam my finished cup onto the table. "Fill!" Since I've been coming to his tarvern alot more often, we've developed some sort of mutual friendship among the two of us. I help deter thieves and bring him wine from the west (courtesy of Shin-chan *sigh*) and he allows me to drink to my hearts content and rant about my life to him.

"As you command my lady." Atsushi-san answers sarcastically and is about to fill my cup when somebody approaches from behind."Hoh? why are you here?" I instinctively freeze. No way. No _freaking _way. Why now? What is HE doing here?

* * *

><p><strong>An: Yugiri's name (**夕霧)**means 'Evening Mist' and her nickname 'Kiri' is derived from the **霧** that but can also be written another way **(桐)** to mean 'paulownia' aka the princess tree' basically it shows how precious she is to her brother (Sankyuu Aoi-chan!) and flower meanings will play an important role XD**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are much appreciated~~**


	3. Ripples in a tranquil pond

**Uwaah! I've finally finished school! *ahem* Thank you for the lovely reviews :D**

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Chapter 3: Ripples in a tranquil pond~<strong>_

"Oh. just you Kiri-chan? What's with the get-up?"

Shin-chan yawns and looks at me with a disinterested face as I brush my long hair back out of my eyes. "Just a disguise I have to wear while pretending to be a maiko, genius. What are you doing walking around like that?"

He raises an eyebrow and pulls the chair next to me out and sits down with a thud. "Oi, Atsushi, the usual." He sighs and massages his temples slowly before turning his face to look at me. " There's been rumours...of onryo roaming the streets at night." He grabs the cup from Atsushi and chugs it down quickly, throwing his head back so his fringe brushes his cheeks and reveals the scar next to his eye. "...Several men have been killed or injured due to the onryo, all reports are fairly consistent, with descriptions of them having white hair, red eyes, unnaturally sharp teeth and all possessed swords. Geez.." he rests his head onto his right hand and stares at the tiny drops of sake left in his cup as they slide down slowly "I don't know the details, but something tells me this is more than just something to lower morale . Geez, I'm already worked to the bone and now this?"

"Pfft, what are you doing listening to baseless rumours like that?" I laugh and elbow him playfully so that his hand shakes and the remaining liquid in the cup splashes on his face. " Even I've heard of stories about the Onryo roaming the streets at night, it's something Onee-sama used to tell me to make me come home before dark. Don't tell me you're turning back into a child again. Aww. does Shin-chan miss being a little kid?"

"My naïve Kiri-chan, there's always an element of truth to every rumour. No matter how unbelievable it might be." He wipes the sake off his face while still managing to look cool and flicks me on the forehead for payback "My instinct tells me that there could be a connection with the Bakufu...or perhaps some yasha have been angered? hehehe.." he falls silent for a moment then smiles as if a sudden evil plan popped into his head. "Shall we leave now? Being out together at a time like this...mm.. I wouldn't want Otome-shi to kill me ."

He has a point. Even though everyone knows we're practically family, that doesn't stop the rumours of Shin-chan and I being a couple from surfacing. ..and knowing my dear big sister, if rumours like that were to reach her ears; there's no doubt she'd bare-handedly slit Shin-chan's throat and keep me locked up indoors until she finds a 'suitable husband'. No thank YOU.

**~x~x~x~**

"By the way, have you heard anything from Miyabe-san lately?" I climb onto the fence and spread my arms out for balance while Shin-chan walks on the ground like a normal person. "Nup. Nothing at all, and this is quite strange for a violent and impatient bastard like that. My guess is he took Ryo's advice and headed down to Edo to blow off some steam safely."

I nod silently and keep walking. Miyabe-san is someone we can somewhat call an ally since he too supports the Emperor and disproves of the Bakufu, however while Onii-sama and Shin-chan are more focused on politically resolving this issue, Miyabe-san and quite a lot of the other Ishin Isshi believe violence is the answer. The last we had seen of him, he had gotten his ass handed neatly to him by Onii-sama and thrown a tantrum before stomping off to Edo. Though, seeing as we hadn't heard anything about him , which was out of character made me feel somewhat uneasy. Now there was also the issue of the Onryo roaming the streets. Things just can't go smoothly for me it seems.

"...uhh.." A man walks unsteadily over to us, his head slightly askew and stands motionless for a moment "...guuh..." Seeing that his hakama is torn in several places and covered in blood stains, not to mention the swords at his side, it's safe to assume that this man is possibly a ronin.

"Uh, is something the matter?" I leap down from the fence and look worriedly at him, maybe he just came back from a job...being a mercenary perhaps? Hmmm... the man says nothing, only makes groaning noises and seeing as I'm unsure of what to do, I glance over at Shin-chan in the hopes he'll lend me some sagely advice. "..Kiri-chan. Get behind.." His gaze is focused on the swordsman and his right hand is fingering the hilt of his sword. "huh?" I dumbly struggle to understand what he just said. Thankfully, Shin-chan is aware not everyone can follow his genius and explains in simple terms for me.

"Tsk, take a good look at his haori. Notice anything?" I follow the direction of his finger. That's when I see it. The torn flapping cloth near the man's waist, clearly has the design of the Roshigumi uniform. Well, now was a more ideal time to leave then ever. Keeping a low profile was what we were supposed to be doing after all.

"...hurts...IT HURTS! Graaaaaah! ARGHH!" The Roshigumi's veiny hands clutch at his head tightly, as he convulses in pain writhing on the ground. "guhhh...rughhh..." A choking guttural sound escapes his throat and his messy black hair slowly fades to a blinding white which seems to glow in the dim streetlight. "...hrgh..." Red eyes blink slowly as the man shakily gets to his feet and bares his unusually long teeth into a twisted smile. Make that unusually long and sharp teeth. This doesn't look good.

I sneak a glance at Shin-chan who frowns and tightens his grip on my arm. "You know how you were talking about the Onryo?...well, looks like it's not a rumour after all." Evidently Shin-chan seemed to notice the Roshigumi's 'miraculous transformation' before I did because the katana he normally keeps sheathed at his side has been drawn out and pointed towards the so-called 'Onryo'. "Back me up Kiri-chan." I nod and sprint to the other side so that we surround the Roshigumi. The two remain motionless, staring each other down in a tense silent stand-off. I slide the Apache onto my knuckles and draw my fists up to my chest, ready to back up Shin-chan.

"graaar!"

The Onryo is the first to make a move, his katana raised diagonally over his right shoulder and slashing in a forward motion ahead of himself. Shin-chan nimbly steps just beyond the katana's reach and sidesteps back again, smirking as the Onryo growls in frustration and randomly waves the sword around, creating small blasts of air with each destructive swing. I guess he's lost his humanity AND sense of reason now. "...scum.." Shin-chan raises the hilt of his katana above his shoulder, so that the kissaki is aligned along with the ground and puts his weight onto his left foot. He sucks in a breath and swiftly springs forward, using the boost to add more damage to the slash and lowers the sword with deadly speed.

There is a faint crunching noise as Shin-chan's sword saws through flesh and blood. The Onryo's hands fall to the ground with a wet thud, one of the hands is still gripping tightly onto the katana. It rolls carelessly on the ground with a hollow sound, before resting at the end of the street. "GRRR...GYAHHH!" The Onryo howls in what I assume to be a mixture of anger and pain and convulses as blood spurts from the stumps on its arms. "Tch." Shin-chan flicks his sword and wipes the blade with the edge of his haori."...!" He whirls around sharply, just in time to counter a rough swing from ANOTHER Onryo. He's also wearing the Roshigumi's distinct haori and stares at us with a possessed look on his face.

"GIVE...ME...BLOOD!" A wild swipe barely misses slicing my face clean off. Panting slightly, I duck to the right and raise my foot up high, slamming as hard as I can onto his spine. There is a cracking sound and my foot instantly tingles with recoil as the Onryo roars with pain and charges ahead at me. Guh, what a time to NOT have my trusty Snyder with me!. The body crumples to the ground and lays twitching pitifully. "Bloood...give...me..." The half collapsing body slowly gets to its feet, completely ignoring the gaping hole in its chest. From the looks of it, these guys aren't going down so easily, in that case, striking the head should do the job. Clenching my fists tightly around the Apache and cocking it as far as I can, I hunch my back and sprint towards the Onryo. One step, two, three, four! I focus my strength I and punch as hard as I can. The mechanism fires upon impact and the rest of my lower arm digs right through its skull. *Shlck* The familiar boiling sensation around my lower arm sends a shiver down my spine and I quickly withdraw my hand from the collapsing head.

"huff.." I pant and shake my wet fists, spraying red droplets onto the ground. "..errggh...disgusting.." I shudder a few times and wipe as much of it as I can onto the sleeves of my kimono. Ah well, looks like I've got major explaining for Karyu-sama... Why the hell did the maiko kimonos have to be so expensive!

Slightly up ahead, Shin-chan has already dispatched the Onryo's head from its body and is calmly wiping his blade clean with the sleeves of his haori. Dammit Shin-chan, don't you know how hard it is to wash blood out of clothes? not to mention YOU'RE the one who insists on wearing the same haori practically everyday! 'lucky' haori my ass.

"...Shin-chan? what are you doing?"

"Huh. What do you think?" He nonchalantly grabs the corpses by the hair and proceeds to drag them behind him, ignoring the fact that he's literally painting the streets red with their blood and smearing offal in the process. " Now that I have decisive evidence of the Roshigumi up to something dangerous and no doubt threatening the peace, I'll definitely use it."

I say nothing and follow him silently, resisting the urge to retch when the smell still lingers around the area. "ugh..." My hands are caked in blood and as it gradually hardens, the feeling is unbearable. "Shin-chan...shouldn't we bring the corpses directly back...instead?" Lugging these things all the way back to our base would be harder, but I figure actually ensuring Onii-sama and all the other membes see it with their own eyes makes a much more credible source. "Come on, the suns coming up and this might get uglier than it already is."

"...what..." Right before our eyes, the bloodied corpses of the Roshigumi are fading away to dust, as though there was never anything there at all. "..." Shin-chan's face is white with disbelief and the edge of his jawline slowly tightens. "...what...the...hell..." he swallows and throws the left behind clothing in a pile in the town square. "I need to inform everyone about this. If my instinct Is right, the Roshigumi will be done for. Hehehe..."

I smile slightly at him and start heading towards home. "The sooner we bring them down the better. Letting Kazu's killers run around like that just doesn't sit well with me."

* * *

><p>"S-serizawa...I think they've escaped." One of Niimi's men assigned to guard the experiments of the Ochimizu had paled at the sight of the smashed door and no sign of the inhabitants.<p>

"WHAT?" Serizawa had glared at them angrily with his wolfish face still stuck in its normal grimace "What the hell are you doing? Hurry up and find them! Where the hell is the damned dog now? " He roared angrily and marched off, only for Ibuki to creep in from across the hallway and follow suit, flinching a little as he slid the door open. "This wouldn't have happened if you'd been a little more careful Heisuke." Shinpachi aimed a scowl at Heisuke though it was in a joking manner. Heisuke puckered up his face with annoyance and glared at Shinpachi "Don't just pin the blame on me! Sides, nobody told me Niimi had THIS much guys locked up." He shook his hands as if to shake away the blame and ran off outside the building.

"Well, guess we gotta head out too." Harada gave an unamused Hijkata a shrug and left with Shinpachi yelling at him to wait up. "Tch. Damn Niimi and his carelessness. Leaving me to do the cleanup." The frown permanently etched on his face deepened and he marched off with a few lower ranked members following suit.

"Souji!"

The brown haired was standing amid a pool of blood, his hand on his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "Looks like somebody else beat us." He crossed his arms and looked smugly at Hijakata "Well! Now what?"

The Roshigumi Vice-captain's face was pinched in a dark scowl as he grit his teeth in anger. "Ask around. See if there were any witnesses. Those experiments wouldn't have killed themselves on their own. " He briefly surveyed the area, most of the telltale signs a swordfight had taken place were there, though...the one thing that was out of place was the remains of the Rasetsu,

"Yamazaki."

The loyal ninja companion answered almost immediately "yes?" HIjkata remained staring ahead at the mess of bloodied clothing " Keep a close eye on Niimi and Serizawa's movements. Make sure not a single word of this gets out to the public."

"Understood." Yamazaki nodded for emphasis and sped off.

"I suppose it's fortunate that their corpses disintegrated once the sun came up." Harada looked cheerful as ever but his face quickly turned serious "...well, about the rest of them."

Hijikata felt a vein in his forehead snap. "What is it? Spill it." He sighed and looked expectantly at Harada who shrugged, being used to Hijikata's moodiness and pointed a finger carelessly towards the town square. A small crowd was gathering around a makeshift podium upon which a bloodied and torn Roshigumi haori lay covered in blood and remnants of dust. Dust. A million questions and possible scenarios, all of them bad whirled around in his head.

"Uhh, Toshi?

"Quiet." The older male snapped angrily at Heisuke who shrugged and waved the crowd away. He muttered something angrily to himself and called up the rest of the Roshigumi "Someone else knows about _that._ Ask around for information. Do whatever it takes."

* * *

><p>"Look, just sell it to me! You stupid jiji!"<p>

I sigh to myself and continue the delicate task of selecting fresh fish for tonight's dinner. Arguments and sometimes fights are commonplace among customers who purchase things from the dodgy merchants here.

"Argh! What's your problem?"

That voice sounds familiar. I turn around slightly and see none other than Ibuki-kun glaring daggers at Tago-san the artisan who is smugly clamping his rather meaty hand over a row of inkpots. "Psh, why the hell would I sell my wares to a brat like you who doesn't have any respect? eh?"

"Tago-san! You must not discriminate against your customers! It is not fair to do so!" Kosuzu appears from out of nowhere and yells loudly, despite having a petite frame. The entire marketplace becomes temporarily silent before continuing with the daily routine.

"H-heh, you're right oujo-chan. Alright, you can have it. "Tago-san snatches the coins from Ibuki-san's palm and practically tosses the inkpot at his face. "you better thank oujo-chan here. Psh"

He shoots another glare at Ibuki and quickly switches to his 'I'm a jolly salesman' mode when another customer shows up. Kosuzu is still standing there and looking at Ibuki silently.

"Huh, must be nice being a maiko. As long as you sleep with a man, he'll treat you well and give you money. He must have recognised you. " He tucks the inkpot into his pouch and looks roughly at Kosuzu who looks taken aback. Oh boy, you've just signed your death warrant Boya. "Ibuki-san." Kosuzu's lower lip is trembling with rage and she rolls up the sleeve on her right arm with steady determination.

"..what?" His head suddenly turns violently to the left as Kosuzu slaps him as hard as she can with her right hand, leaving a deep red imprint of her dainty palm on his cheek.

"uuufff!..." He falls to the ground and tumbles dramatically, rolling once and hitting his head on a table before crouching in an awkward position. "...y-y-you.." I can tell he's trying his best not to cry, especially since curious onlookers are starting to gather. "...tch." He unsteadily stands up, his knees knocking together as he scowls at a somewhat bemused Kosuzu .

"..Forgive me.." She presses her hand gently against his cheek, filling in the red handprint she had made just moments before. "... Though I advise you to avoid speaking ill of people, especially if you are still lacking in understanding about them. Farewell." She spares him a final look and walks off elegantly into the crowd. Everyone parts ways for her to slip through, looking at her fleeing back in silence then back at Ibuki-kun with expectation.

"..." Ibuki is staring, speechless. His hand slowly travels to his red cheek and stays there, as if doing that will conjure up Kosuzu again. Come on Ibuki-kun, now's your chance to run after her and apologise! I silently cheer him on, but the dense idiot is just standing doe eyed at Kosuzu's back which gets tinier by the second. Ugh, I can't take it any longer.

"Ibuki-kun." I march out from among the crowd and grab him by the wrist. "Come with me." He stared bug eyed at me and allows himself to be dragged off. "Man, you should know better than that. Didn't Kosuzu tell you herself that she's a MAIKO not a GEIKO?"

"huh?" He looks at me with confusion "...how do you know about that Osho-san?" I momentarily stop in my tracks and resist the urge to slam my head repeatedly against the wall. How could I be so careless! Letting something like that slip...ugh..."A-ahaha. Well Kosuzu-chan and I are somewhat acquaintances and I happened to hear about that from her." I glance sideways at Ibuki-kun who seems to have accepted my excuse. Whew, safe for now. "Say, Ibuki-kun, do you like Kosuzu?"

Ibuki-kun makes a strangled choking noise and looks angrily at me with his face all red. "Tsk. NO! W-why would I like somebody who slaps me for making a mistake. " he shakes his head and flings my hand off "S-sorry Osho-san. I should go. Serizawa-dono might be angry."

"ah, Ibu-" He runs off before I can remind him to apologise to Kosuzu. This really is unlike me. Why am I even getting myself further involved? I've got more things on my plate without needing to play matchmaker for someone.

**~x~x~x~**

"Ryunosuke-kun, if you like her, do something about it." Harada claps a hand onto his shoulder and squeezes it in a friendly manner.

"N-no! What do you think you're doing?!" Being much weaker and shorter than Harada, Ryunosuke had no choice but to let himself be dragged all the way to Kosuzu's home at the maiko establishment. "..please...don't.." his whispered begging was completely ignored.

"Alright, Go up to her and apologise. That's what a real man would do." Ryunosuke shook his head violently and attempted to run away. "*sigh*" Harada grabbed him by the collar and proceeded to call out Kosuzu.

"Kosuzu-san!" Harada knocked on the door, stepping back as Kosuzu opened it slowly and bowed. Her eyes darted around nervously before noticing Ryunosuke's cowering figure, whereupon she frowned slightly and turned down the corners of her mouth. "you..are...from the other day.."

"That's right, I'm Harada Sanosuke from the Roshigumi. My friend here has something to say to you." As soon as he said that, Harada grabbed a startled Ryunosuke by the neck and pushed him into the seiza position onto the ground, making his head touch the ground. "He wants to apologise for what he said to you yesterday. Please hear him out."

Kosuzu's hands tightened against the frame of the door but she said nothing, only allowing a nervous Ryunosuke to see her cold gaze. "It does not matter anymore. I cannot see any sincerity within him. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that I am a maiko, I dance and pour drinks to entertain customers instead of selling my body. "

"...i.." Still being held down in a submissive position by Harada, Ryunosuke clenched his hands and raised his head slowly "K-kosuzu-san...I...was an idiot. I never realised or thought about that. For saying something so...insulting like that. I-I-I'm so sorry!" He bowed his head down low and remained that way until the faintest hint of a smile blossomed on Kosuzu's face.

"I see." She gently placed a hand on his stinging cheek "I am glad you understand now...forgive me for striking you like that. "

"N-no! It's fine! I'm the one who deserved it! Y-you don't need to apologise at all Kosuzu-san!" he turned redder than ever and began flapping his hands around which made her giggle lightly. "uh...um..T-tell Nanaya-san I said t-thank you!"

"Then I suppose everything is alright between us then." Kosuzu smiled and placed a hand on her cheek "..ara?.. Nanaya-san?..I have not seen her lately. Not even at Shimabara, perhaps she has been assigned somewhere else? I apologise Ibuki-san, but I shall pass on your message when I see her next." She bowed deeply and left.

The door shut gently and the two men stared at it in silence, thoughts whirling around their minds before Harada spoke first. "Say...have you ever seen Nanaya before?"

Ryunosuke looked confused at Sanosuke and shook his head "..no?. T-then again, I don't really visit Shimabara very often." he blushed slightly and scuffed his foot on the ground, hoping that his manliness wouldn't be questioned.

"hmm." Sanosuke had a thoughtful expression on his face "Well, I'm practically a regular and that was the first time I saw her. Though, doesn't something seem off about her?" He stood up straight and stretched a little while Ryunosuke peeled himself off the ground. "..um..no?"

"It's almost impossible for Kosuzu not to have seen her around at Shimabara." A curious expression flickered across his face as he chuckled "Also, her hands...were very unusual." he raised his own hands up and glanced at the calloused, scarred skin gained from years of wielding his yari. "Compared to a maiko, she had the hands of a labourer . I have a feeling this Nanaya woman may be more than what she seems."

"...I...guess." Not exactly understanding what was going on, Ibuki shrugged and stared wistfully at the doors before turning to leave. Things would be different. _Next _time.


	4. The discordant song

**Well... I was informed that there IS a Hakuoki spin-off called Urakata Hakuoki which focuses on the anti-Bakufu side! 0^0 How did I NOT knowww! *pouts* (Aoi! waiii!) but teehee funny how the premise of my fic is similar to it...*cough* anyways.. ah! My other ocs (Takasugi Shinsaku, Sakamoto Ryoma...etc.) look different to the Otomate versions (obviously!) My Shinsaku is based on the Toukiden mitama (hawt~) *ahem* Letsa goo!**

* * *

><p><em>" Kiri-chan. I think the higanbana is a beautiful flower too." He bends down so that we are at eye level and pats my head "It can also mean 'independence and passion'. Traits that you have."<em>

_"..." My older sister Otome takes the higanbana out from the vase and tosses them onto the ground "It's a flower of death Yugiri. Choose something else, hmm, the yuri is a nice one. Let's pick that one instead"_

_"See? Onee-sama, he thinks so too!"_

_Otome Onee-sama tucks a strand of hair behind her right ear and sighs "You...stop spoiling her like that. She's already troublesome as it is."_

_"Haha" he laughs. I always liked his laughter. "It's fine. Kiri-chan is perfect the way she is. Promise me you won't change ok? Kiri-chan?" He sticks out his pinky towards me and smiles "Promise?"_

_Without hesitating, I wrap my tiny pinky around his and smile "I promise! Kirino Onii-chan!"_

Oops. I ended up dozing off again.

I head quickly towards the front door, peeking through the slit between the wooden door frame to see a handsome blonde man staring directly at me from the outside. "Ah, Chikage-dono!" The blond haired man looks disinterestedly at me and turns away with a barely whispered 'hmph' of disdain. I hurriedly unbolt the door and notice his attendants are mysteriously absent; though knowing him it would be wise not to ask.

"Where is Ryoma-san?" He folds his arms and looks around, hoping to get his business over and done with. I frantically glance around the house, hopefully it isn't too messy since I haven't cleaned up today. Thankfully I already brought in the laundry so nothing embarrassing is out in the open. "..mm?" My eyes follow his line of vision as he gazes with curiosity at the brush painting pinned to the wall. It's the one Ibuki-kun gave me, of a white haired man with horns slashing something with his sword. "hmm? This painting? A friend painted it for me..." I point awkwardly at it, hoping to get rid of this very tense atmosphere "You know, it seems to resemble the Onryo...the ah rumours that have been spreading.."

"Hmph. Nothing more than pathetic imitations of the real thing." He shakes his head and seats himself down on Onii-sama's chair, tsk, how rude! Though since Onii-sama isn't here...I guess he can sit there. Wait, so he already knew about the Onryo? and what did he mean by 'real thing'? I turn my head away from the teapot and look at him with my mouth wide-open. "So you kn—"

"Oni. That's what they claim to be." He spits out the words like the mere mention of the Onryo or whatever would permanently dirty his mouth. " Nothing more than a mockery. Humans are so presumptuous."

"Oni? are... real?"I set down my teacup and look incredulously at him, he stares back at me with no emotion on his face but a hint of annoyance and exasperation is in his eyes. "Of course. Mere humans like you wouldn't be aware of the existence of superior beings such as myself."

"So...you're an oni?" Onii-Sama used to tell me stories about oni when I was younger, one of my favourites had been the fact that they were weak against beans...perhaps now was a more opportune time than ever to test out that theory. I grab a handful of beans from the bowl on the table and toss them at Chikage-dono. "..." I watch them fly into the air and slowly descend with focus, something interesting might happen. Would he get set alight? disappear?

Instead, they fall carelessly to the ground as Chikage-dono brushes them off his arms with a look of disdain. "What the hell were you expecting?"

I watch the rest of the beans roll around on the ground and bow my head apologetically "I'm sorry Chikage-dono. I was under the assumption that beans would dispel oni...which is why I wanted to test the theory...umm..against you. hahaha..ha? ah! I'm so sorry!"

"..." There is an incredibly awkward silence as Chikage-dono sips his tea and pretends I don't exist. In the meantime, I am desperately trying to figure out how I can appease the frozen wrath of the Angry One.

"..erm..so how do you know about the..ah...fake oni?" To be honest, I AM curious about how the fake oni suddenly popped up. Actually, maybe I should have asked Chikage-dono if he was joking when he mentioned he was an oni? I had seen photos of white haired men in the West so there was a possibility that - *clack*

Chikage-dono places the teacup onto the table and looks at me with a 'fill-this-up-pronto' look...which I oblige to and he takes his damn sweet time drinking it up. "There's a medicine, known as the 'Ochimizu' which once consumed transforms a human into a copy of an oni. Your brother has asked me to report whatever I knew on the matter." he pauses and looks towards the empty hallway "where is he?"

"..Ah..well.." I cringe and avoid any form of eye contact "Onii-sama is away in Osaka on business."

The atmosphere within the room instantly drops to a temperature so cold I bet the hot water froze up. Chikage-dono sucks in his breath softly, though to me it sounds like a typhoon blasting through my house. Kamisama...save me from Chikage-dono's wrath... *gulp* I lift my head up slowly and turn to face Chikage-dono.

"..." If looks could kill, I would be dead right now. _'why the hell did you wait until now to tell me? How dare a human like you waste my time? and wtf were you thinking throwing your smelly beans at me?" _His eyes seem to scream that out to me. Gulp. "..." He glares at me with an expression that could turn hot coals into ice and stands up slowly "...Tell your brother I will pay him a visit once he returns."

"Uh..yes. Sorry about that Chikage-dono." I bow politely and follow him to the door, locking it securely as he exits and lean against the wall with relief. I guess Shin-chan was able to inform everyone else about the Onryo-no the Oni. Now that we have an idea of what they are, gathering evidence on how they link to the Roshigumi will be much easier, especially since Chikage-dono is also one...wait...Chikage-dono is an oni?

"Chikage-dono is an oni." I repeat that to myself a few times, slowly allowing the reality to sink in. Hmm, Chikage-dono certainly didn't seem like the type of person to joke around. " Chikage-dono is an oni!"

"Oh. So you know?" Someone speaks from behind me. Huh? I thought I was the only one at home.

"Hwah!" I let out a squawk and whirl around to smack my head right into Shin-chan's chest and somehow bury myself within his kimono. "Geez, it's unlike you to be so affectionate." He pats my head mockingly, making me more entangled within his kimono and having a change of heart helps me up. "Anyways, I've got a message to pass onto you, himegimi." He smirks and tries to hide his laughter. Unfortunately he fails and ends up cackling for a good 10 minutes. "Karyu-san from Shimabara has something to say to you. Fufufu, something about compensation for hurting a customer?"

I groan loudly and pinch his nose " You know I can't help it...geez Shin-chan." He responds by patting my head like a kid and nodding " Ehh, that's because I know Kiri-chan well. It's just...you don't need to go there yourself Kiri-chan. We've got more than enough girls helping out already."

"I'm not a kid! and besides, I can easily handle gross jijis. Later Shin-chan!" I give him a brief hug and head off to Shimabara. Gathering information this way is something only I can do, therefore I have a reason to do so.

~x~x~x~

"So. You decided to come back?" Karyu-san folds her arms and scoffs "Really. You're more suited to be a man than a woman. Honestly, what is Shinsaku-kun thinking le-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it baba." I wave her away and get walk towards the hallway, hmm I wonder if I'll be able to sneak a few rounds of sake before guests start coming?

"Yuu-chan!" An overexcited girl's voice calls out to me before I am partially strangled by thin arms and tumble to the ground. "Yuu-chan!"

"..iitaii!" I rub my head and peel off the hyper girl hugging my leg. Tsuyo, one of the younger maiko and a spy working for us. Tsuyo's eyes widen and she bows her head apologetically "sowwy! but you're fine aren't you Yuu-chan?" I give her a slow nod and sigh before she can burst into tears.

"Yuu-chan. A word of warning. Do you know Harada-san? The captain in the Roshigumi?" Her warm brown eyes stare unblinkingly at me with an aura of seriousness she hardly ever shows. I nod and shrug my shoulders "The Roshigumi guy right? what about him?"

"He came by the other day asking for you. and..." She hesitated and looked slowly at me "He'll be coming by again today as well. Please don't do anything that will ..umm...draw attention to us or the fact that we're assisting the Emperor...or anything that might be an inconvenience to Takasugi-sama." she twists her hands together nervously and bites her lip. Haha, another girl in love with Shin-chan. Well, isn't he the lucky guy, practically every girl who lays their eyes on him falls in love and becomes a devout fangirl. I shrug and pinch Tsuyo-chan's cheek."haha. ..is...that...so...? Don't worry Tsuyo-chan. Besides, Karyu-san is right. I'm far more suited to the blood and grime of the battlefield." I give her a forced reassuring smile and nod my head confidently" _ with Shin-chan. Everyone acts like he's the chosen one."_

~x~x~x~

Great. An unfortunately familiar face shows up. A certain middle-aged pervert named Serizawa who happens to be the leader of the Roshigumi. Not to mention his pack of rabid dogs have come to join him. After the Kosuzu harassment incident, somehow her popularity skyrocketed among the Roshigumi and well...Karyu-san decided to group our spies together with Kosuzu as it was the best method of gathering information. Unfortunately, that's doubled the amount of perverted old men I've had to deal with, though I suppose the benefits DID outweigh the losses. For the greater good. I guess. *sigh*

"Heh..Na~Na~Yaaaa..." A drunken Serizawa leers at me and winks over his overflowing sake cup. I plaster a serene smile over my face and bow stiffly at him "Yes? ah. More sake?" I reach for the bottle to refill his cup, resisting the urge to spit into it and prepare to refill his already empty cup. Ara, the man drinks sake like a vacuum. Witholding my temptation to pour the bottle onto his head, I edge as close as possible and pour delicately into the tiny cup in his meaty hands "...hehehe.." He places his arm around my shoulder and grins. "..." _Stay calm Yugiri. Deep breaths, . three. Just be patient, you'll be able to humiliate him later. _Chanting mentally to myself, I manage to endure the weight of his heavy arm and stench worthy breath.

"...Please withdraw your arm. Serizawa-sama." I look coolly at him and slowly remove his hand from venturing too far "Do remember that I am only authorised to pour drinks and perform non-contact entertainment."

"heh? Like I care!" He staggers drunkenly towards me with a wild look in his eyes. Great! I needed to let off some steam anyways. I grab the shamisen leaning against the wall and cough meaningfully at him. The erojiji doesn't get the message and staggers closer to me, his hands outstretched and cupped together.

~x~X~x~

"Hey!" Harada and Hijikata rise up from their seats and prepare to charge the drunk Serizawa down. Honestly, do they think they'll be able to reach the drunkard in time?

"Tsk." I flip the shamisen around and smack it as hard as I can onto the erojiji's head. "guuuuh..." It clonks onto his head with a satisfying thump and he rolls unconscious onto the floor. "Hmph." I drop the broken shamisen onto his knocked out body and give him a kick while throwing my head back and laughing "That'll teach you. Kisama."

"..." The room has fallen silent and I slowly scan my eyes around the room, the realization of what I have done barely sinking in.

Everyone stares at me in silence *twang* The shamisen makes a sad mewing sound as the last string snaps and falls onto the floor next to Serizawa. Kosuzu and Tsuyo are hugging each other in fear with tears about to spill from their eyes. One of the other girls Kikka, has fainted dead away. Ibuki is staring at Kosuzu and probably wishing he was the one to knock out Serizawa. There's a time and place to play hero boya.

Hijikata looks embarrassed, though I can't blame him in this situation. The girl with the Roshigumi is staring bug-eyed at me. Weird, she's dressed as a guy. Okita is laughing silently with tears streaming down his cheeks while Toudou is giggling along with him. Saito is as blank as always. Huh, a model samurai eh? and as for the red-haired akuma? he's...next to me?

"Are you alright?" There is genuine concern in his face as he looks worriedly at me. Geez, you should be more worried about Serizawa buddy. Instead, I groan softly to myself and make shooing motions with my hands "I'm fine. Thanks for your unneeded concern." I cross my arms and take a step back "This sort of thing happens all the time. I can handle things on my own."

Well, that seemed to be the wrong answer because he grips my hand and makes me face him "You're a woman. Just leave the protecting to the men." His golden eyes glint with determination. The sort of determination which translates to 'I-will-protect-you-so-stay-back-and-be-a-damsel-in-distress'. Exactly the sort of thing I DO NOT need. At all.

"Hmm, if I can recall correctly. It was a man that did the molesting. Correct?" I look coldly at him and smirk a little as he falters and shakes his head "Even so, let me handle it next time."

Oho, is that a 'women are weak' statement I hear? oh boy, you're messing with the wrong girl here. I, Sakamoto Yugiri may be a woman, but I most definitely am not weak. The nerve of him. How dare he say something like that? For a brief moment I contemplate slapping him in the face a la Kosuzu style but settle for a good old right hook .

"Ara, well allow me to thank you IN ADVANCE!" I pull my right fist back and slam it into his face. Ouch, seems like his face is also just as well built as the rest of his body, but I send him crashing to the ground. "Cheh, just as bad as your superior." He falls onto his butt and crashes into the tables set in front of Saito and Okita. The latter stare back in silence before Okita cracks up laughing.

"..haha..." Harada rubs his cheek and starts laughing "hahahaha!" He stays seated awkwardly on the ground and slaps his knee "You're the first woman to bring me down this way."

"Oh? Well I certainly am not the kind of woman who would bring you down using pillow tactics." I look smugly back at him and make a show of dusting off my (aching) hands. "...and there WON'T be a next time." I stab my index finger towards him with disgust "You don't need to get involved. _honoured guest._ I don't want-no, I don't NEED your help._" _I sniff and turn back to the audience, well everyone who is watching us in silence. "Everyone, I'm sorry about this. Please enjoy your evening." I kneel down and bow politely with a huge fake smile plastered on my face.

Nobody says a word until Kosuzu the sweetie giggles awkwardly and holds up the sake bottle "Shall I pour you a drink?" Well, I guess I'll leave now..while things are getting back to normal.

"Y-yes!" Ibuki-kun raises his cup and turns beet red as Kosuzu goes over to serve him. "...thanks." he manages to mumble something under his breath before glancing over at Kosuzu. She smiles sweetly at him and sets the bottle down. "Nanaya-san is very admirable isn't she?"

Geez. She's so naïve. I sigh and slide the door as quietly as I can before an 'ahem' catches my attention. I look up slowly to see none other than the demon queen staring at me. oh kamisama...help me...

"..." Karyu-san looks silently at me and slowly flicks me in the forehead "Yugiri-san. Please don't ever come by again." She brings her pipe to her lips and exhales slowly "You knew very well that there a things you can and cannot do while working undercover at Shimabara. As such, I have no wish to jeopardise myself or any of our allies. Understand?"

I nod slowly and can't conjure up words to answer back "...uh Karyu-san. I'm sorry. Really. I should have known something like this isn't suitable for me...even though I wanted to help..hahaha..." I scratch my head awkwardly and pull the loose kanzashi off my hair "Guess I should stick to the battlefield . right?"

"Quite right." Karyu-san smiles wryly and whirls around to leave "Feel free to come by and visit anytime."

"huh?" Didn't she just ban me from coming to Shimabara? It's impossible for the old hag to go back on her word! Never, never has she ever done something like this. Well, I guess she IS old so her memory could be failing.

"Shizu-chan has taken quite a liking to you. I think it's best for the both of us she continues to have a source of motivation..after all..." she stops talking and walks off quickly leaving the rest of her sentence unspoken. "_After all, Shizu's mother is an important benefactor to Shimabara."_


End file.
